Trippin': Break Out For Spring Break

Alas, spring break is upon us! But what to do? Here are a couple of travel tidbits that might spur you to hit the open road:

An American Girl in Chicago: Head to the Affinia Chicago hotel for its American Girl Place Package ($229 standard, $289 deluxe) that includes a doll-sized bed, pillow and blankie so your child's American Girl can sleep in comfort. The package also includes a turn-down treat for the child and the doll and a custom welcome note. The deluxe package includes an AG keepsake, Affinia Chicago rubber duckie, breakfast for a child in C-House, dining discounts and other fun stuff. The hotel's concierge staff can help make reservations at the American Girl Cafe. The packages are available through December.

Special Menu: Kids and food allergies make for difficult traveling companions, which is why Jim Lindfors, executive chef at Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa's BIN189 restaurant, is willing to create special menus for special appetites. Simply contact the resort two days prior to your arrival with your dietary needs, and Chef Lindfors will create a menu with your child's name that suits his dietary needs. Lindfors, whose son is on a restricted diet, says he creates the menus "to make these kids feel special, not different." Call the restaurant directly at 909-337-4189 to set up a menu for your stay at the resort, which is situated on the shore of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino National Forest. The luxury lodge, located about 90 miles east of L.A., offers 173 guestrooms, a spa and other amenities.


Travel to Trees: Doubletree Hotels have partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to bring a 2,500-square-foot traveling Exploring Trees Inside & Out exhibit in which kids can crawl around the logs, listen to the sounds of the forest and even become a forest creature through the wonders of technology. The exhibit will travel to the California Science Center June 1-Sept. 6. Or see it at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia through May 2 and enjoy the hotel chain's new Bed and Breakfast package (free full breakfast buffet for two adults and two children!).

Girl Talk

I can look at this one of two ways:

• Kate is only 8 ...
– or –
• Kate is already 8!

When it comes to talking to Kate about growing up and all the changes she'll be going through, both of those statements seem to apply. And frankly, I don't always know which side to err on.

Thank goodness for books! Is This Normal?, an American Girl advice book, arrived in my mail a few months ago. At first I was hesitant to show it to her (see statements above), but it turned out to be a great conduit to conversation with Kate about our monthly blessings, getting boobs and other stuff that we've all wondered about at some point or another. The book also touches upon body-type issues and addresses them in the form of a question from a girl, which makes it all very approachable and relatable. Stuff like "I want to keep eating even though I'm full" and "I feel self-conscious about my lack of development" speak to girls at all stages, and the answers are low-key, almost as though a trusted aunt is filling you in on her experiences.

And Kate seemed very comfortable with the dialog and the content, especially for being only 8 (or is it already 8?).